Officer Down
by shannyfish
Summary: This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version
1. Shock

**Title:** Officer Down

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version ;)

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Case, Character Study, Drama, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Pre-relationship, Suspense

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine, Frank Tripp

**Warnings:** None

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 1 "Shock"

**Author's Notes: **I was bored…and I blame Riley for making me obsessive about CSI: Miami, and letting me know about the whole "Officer Down" original plotline.

For those who do not live in areas with Spanish influence, the name Jorge is pronounced Hor-hay. The J and G being pronounced in English as a H.

…………………………………..

**Monday - 1530EST**

**Warehouse District**

High, dark warehouse walls surrounded him as he cautiously tread through the piles of boxes that formed a maze. Only a few streams of light perforated through the walls, and Horatio noted that they were most likely from bullets. He was careful not to give up his position by stepping on anything, trying to be a step ahead of himself. They were pursuing Jorge Rivera, a serial killer, who had killed five families and two police officers. He and Calleigh had tracked him down to the warehouse and had decided to pursue him rather than waiting for backup.

It had been only a couple minutes, but Horatio was starting to think that Rivera had made it out of the warehouse already. He decided to try to make his way towards the back of the warehouse and around to the other side where Calleigh was. Backup would be there within minutes, and Horatio wanted to finish looking around before they arrived, so that they didn't make a lot of noise and possibly scare off Rivera if he hadn't already left the building.

The shots rang out like bells to Horatio, and made his heart skip a beat. "Calleigh," he whispered and looked around before taking off. He forced himself not to break into a full run and remember his training, but thoughts of Calleigh as Rivera's next victim haunted him as he made his way towards where the gunshot had come from.

As he rounded a corner, Jorge Rivera practically was running towards him. "Jorge Rivera! Miami-Dade PD! Stop! Put your weapon down!" he yelled and watched as he stopped and started to duck over into the next row of boxes. But that moment was enough to tell Horatio what he needed to know. Blood spatter covered the other man's white shirt. Horatio looked down the way Rivera had come and then back towards where the man had fled. He was torn, but it didn't take him long to go towards his priority.

Silence. He hadn't heard her scream. He had only heard the shot. He hurriedly made his way back towards where he and Calleigh had split up and was confused when he couldn't find her in plain sight. "Calleigh," he called out as he started back towards where Rivera had headed. The warehouse was a maze, and finding Calleigh to check her was seeming impossible at the moment. His phone rang, and Horatio jumped before he quickly answered it, "Caine." He knew his voice probably seemed out of breath and strained, but he needed to find Calleigh. "Frank! He went out the back! I need you to call rescue, we have an officer down. Officer down," he repeated before hanging up on Frank when he came up with an idea. Dialing her number, he followed the ring tone. She was an aisle over and five rows ahead of him.

Finding her, he stopped for a minute, forcing himself to compose himself. There was no use upsetting her when she was already in such bad condition. Calleigh had dragged herself out of plain sight and pulled herself so that her back was resting up against boxes out of the way. Kneeling down, Horatio started to look her over and tried to assess her injuries. "Sweetheart," he said gently forcing the fear from his voice, "Rescue's coming… I need you to stay with me…"

He wasn't going to move her at first, but then he thought about how long it had taken him to find her. He wasn't sure if she could afford to loose that much blood from them trying to locate them in the maze. "Honey, I need to move you. I'm going to get you outside…help should be here by then," he explained as he pushed a stray strand of hair from her face. Horatio could tell that she was in shock. Her skin was clammy and pale and she wasn't responding to him. "Calleigh, say something…I need to know you're with me…" he tried to instruct as he carefully moved his arms so that he had her cradled.

"Mmsorry."

It was barely audible, and Horatio's heart fell as he carried her out for her to think that it was her fault. "It's not your fault, Sweetheart. We're going to get you to rescue…" he told her as he gently pulled her closer to his body as he turned around and backed out of the warehouse door. "I need rescue!" Horatio yelled as he turned around. The rescue team was already rushing towards them, and that was really what mattered.

The loss of Calleigh's body in his arms resting against his chest for a minute seemed odd, and he stood back watching as they assessed her injuries and started what they needed to. He raked his hand through his hair as he watched helplessly.

"Horatio, we got him."

At first, he didn't hear him, but when his shoulder was shaken, he looked over to see Frank standing there with a concerned look on his face. "Calleigh," he started and then stopped realizing he wasn't sure if he could keep his composure if he continued what he had intended on saying.

"We got him, Horatio."

Nodding, Horatio took that as small relief. When he turned back to check on Calleigh, rescue was loading her into the back of the ambulance. He and Frank walked over and he found himself being pushed towards it, and he looked back at Frank for an explanation.

"You ride with her."

Climbing up into the ambulance, he took the seat that the paramedics offered him and assured them that he was alright when they pointed out his blood stained shirt. His light blue shirt was now stained with Calleigh's blood. He watched them intently, and the monitor that continually beeped telling them that her heart was still beating started to beat in time with his own. It was like déjà vu, but this time they had already caught the guy. There would be no stopping the ambulance on its frantic hurry to the hospital.

A hand found his, and when he looked down, he realized it was Calleigh's. Taking her cold hand between his, he tried to warm it with both of his. "We're almost there," he tried to assure her. She looked like Marisol had…and panic grew inside of him at the thought of losing him. Realizations of how precious she was to him started to surface and he couldn't hold back the tears that had been strongly kept at bay behind his blue eyes.

As long as she stayed with him though, he knew that they'd make it, but when her eyes started to sink closed… "How close are we?" he demanded and the driver's answer brought small comfort that they were almost there. "Calleigh," he said, his voice louder than he had used in the ambulance before. "You have to stay with us. We're almost there… Almost there…"

……………………………………….

TBC…


	2. Confusion

**Title:** Officer Down

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version ;)

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Case, Character Study, Drama, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Pre-relationship, Suspense

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine, Alexx Woods

**Warnings:** None

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 2 "Confusion"

**Author's Notes: **Throughout the next couple chapters I'm going to be bouncing back and forth between times of day…I'll mostly be staying on Monday…but I figured I'd let you know when I'd skipped to the next day by using the day of the week along with the time and location.Hopefully this will make it LESS confusing!

…………………………………………

**Monday – 1130EST**

**Miami-Dade Crime Lab**

Calleigh stared down at the evidence she had spread across the table. There were similarities, but nothing was identical. They knew who the suspect, and that there were DNA samples found at the different locations, but none of the treads or bullets matched…and there were no patterns to the killings. It was frustrating to say the least.

"What do you have for me?"

She didn't look up and just sighed and let her shoulders slump. "Not much, I'm afraid… The shoe treads that we've collected are all size elevens, but he apparently doesn't wear the same shoes everyday…" Taking a breath, she continued, "The bullets are different calibers…two of them were nines, but the striations don't match."

Horatio frowned, not only was the evidence not helping them put together a solid case. He moved over to the scope and looked down through it at the bullets side by side. They were at a dead end. He turned to Calleigh and noticed that she was tired…but he easily could account that from her trying so hard to figure out a way to link the evidence they had. "Coffee?"

Calleigh gave him a small smile, "Yes."

"Sugar, right?"

"Thank you," she responded feeling a bit less tense about things. She knew that if there was evidence out there then they'd find it. It was just a matter of time.

……………………………………

**Monday - 1600EST**

**South Miami Hospital**

"I need to see her," Horatio stated to the nurse, who just shook her head at him again.

"Lieutenant, I know she's one of yours, but she's in surgery… The doctor will let us know as soon as they've got her stable. Why don't you wait in the waiting room?" the nurse offered. "Get some coffee and sit down? I promise you that if I get any news that you'll know right away."

Horatio went to speak again, when the nurse cut him off.

"Is there any next of kin that you should be calling for Ms. Duquesne?"

Next of kin. It sounded almost like there was no hope left. "Her father," he stated. Her father was the only family member Calleigh had in Miami. Her brothers and mother were back in Louisiana, and Horatio wasn't ready to make that call yet…to make that call would be giving up on Calleigh…and he wasn't going to do that.

"I suggest you call him then."

Turning, Horatio sighed and pulled out his phone and headed for the nearest exit to make the call outside. He didn't want any echoing from the inside of the hospital or any overhead paging to interrupt the call. As he walked through the door, he saw Alexx approaching him quickly. It was only a matter of time before the whole team arrived for a vigil.

"How is she, Horatio?" Alexx asked quickly.

"She's in surgery…that's all they've told me."

As Alexx neared, she caught the blood that had stained his shirt. "How much blood has she lost?" she asked trying to assess Calleigh's situation through her blood loss. From Horatio's expression, she felt a lot of cause to worry for her friend.

"A lot…" he said quietly, not looking at Alexx.

"Honey, we should get you another shirt…" she suggested. "Why not let me call and have Frank pick you up one? Hmm?"

Horatio nodded, "I have an extra one at the lab. Eric might be closer." There was silence for a minute before he spoke up again, "The nurse asked me to call her next of kin."

"They just want someone here who can legally make decisions for Calleigh…" Alexx tried to assure. "You call her father, and I'll call about your shirt and then I'll go in and try to find out a bit more… They may let me scrub in and check in on the surgery if we're lucky…" She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder and tried to be reassuring to him, "Horatio, she's going to be okay…"

He didn't say anything. He wasn't sure if she was going to be okay. Alexx didn't see the blood…she hadn't been there… Horatio turned away and put in the call to Kenwall Duquesne. He wasn't sure what he could really say to the man to ease the situation. His daughter had been shot, and Horatio didn't know the man's mindset at the moment. It'd been some time since he'd seen Calleigh's father, he just hoped that that meant that he'd stopped drinking and had started to actually have a regular life that didn't involve his daughter bailing him out.

……………………………………….

TBC…


	3. My Baby

**Title:** Officer Down

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat)

**Summary:** This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version ;)

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Case, Character Study, Drama, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Pre-relationship, Suspense

**Characters:** Kenwall Duquesne (Other), Alexx Woods, Horatio Caine, Eric Delko, Natalia Boa Vista (Other), Ryan Wolfe, Frank Tripp (Other)

**Warnings:** None

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 3 "My Baby…"

**Author's Notes: **none

……………………………………..

**Monday - 1800EST**

**South Miami Hospital**

"Where is she?" Kenwall Duquesne demanded as he headed towards the group of CSIs. He knew that they'd been there longer than he had. Horatio had left him a message while he had been in court, and he had found that it had been left at the beginning of court. It had been closed though, and there had been no way to inform him of his daughter's hospitalization until he got out. He frantically looked around as he approached them.

Horatio met Kenwall, his gaze down. He was wondering when Kenwall would show up, and Horatio knew that once he did…that the tension that was already felt between them would double. He hadn't seen Calleigh's father in a while, and wasn't sure if he'd turned his life around or if he was still drinking, but he was there. So, that told him one thing. He cared about Calleigh… "She's still in surgery as far as we know," he responded, but when his voice started to crack, he stopped. Looking up, he continued trying to keep his composure, "She's lost a great deal of blood."

Getting up from the bench, Alexx felt the need to bring in hope before blame was starting to be thrown around. She knew it could easily get ugly. "Calleigh's gonna pull through…she's a fighter. They're gonna replenish her blood supply, and they're going to get the bullet out… Any damage it may have done, they'll fix it… It's delicate work, it just takes time some time…" She hoped that it was bring Calleigh's father hope, because she knew that any negative thoughts were not welcome there. They had come together, and they had mostly been silent, but once and awhile someone would recall something Calleigh had done and they'd remember just how strong their friend was.

"No one's said anything about an update?" Kenwall asked panicking. Thoughts of losing his baby girl ran through his mind, and he wondered if he'd loose the child that he was probably most connected to. Calleigh wasn't his only child, but sometimes she felt like it…and she put up with a lot from him…but she never gave up on him… Not once had she let him down, but he'd let her down…he knew that…

"They said they'd let us know as soon as they were out of surgery or there were any changes," Eric spoke up. "I'm going to go and check with the nurse…" he said getting up and heading over to the nurses' station.

Alexx managed to get Kenwall to sit with them, but she watched worriedly as Horatio left the group. They were all worried, but she knew the look in Horatio's eyes…she had seen it before…when she had arrived on scene to pick up Tim Speedle's body. It was an empty look. She made a note to make sure she found him in a while to check up on him.

"What'd they say?" Natalia asked as Eric walked back over and took a seat next to her and Ryan.

"Still in surgery?" Frank asked.

Eric nodded, "They said that they're finishing up. That so far, things are okay."

"Good," Alexx said trying to bring up spirits. She looked around and saw that everyone were still shock-stricken and worried. "We need to pray for Calleigh's speedy recovery," Alexx told them and reached out to take hands around her.

…………………………………

When Calleigh had come out of surgery, the doctors had gone over how the surgery had gone and then had allowed them all in for five minutes and then had pushed everyone, but one out. Kenwall Duquesne had been the person to remain. He had cried after everyone had left. His little girl looked so helpless…so pale… He hated seeing her hooked up to all the monitors. They had her on a ventilator, and he only took that as a bad sign.

He held her hand and ran his thumb over the top of it, "My baby…" he whispered. "I'm sorry this happened to you… Calleigh, you've gotta wake up…" He needed to see her eyes. They had induced a coma, and they had explained that they didn't know when she'd wake up, but that at the time it was the best option.

Sitting there, he told her that she'd changed him…made him a better person…and how he'd be dead if it wasn't for her. He told her how he needed her and how it wasn't right for a father to outlive his daughter. He knew that she hated when he told her she was too beautiful to be doing the job she worked, but it was true… Kenwall had pretty much given up hope on Calleigh settling down and starting a family…she was far too much of a workaholic. He only remembered seeing her outside of the Crime Lab when she wanted something or when she was dragging him out of bars…and he vaguely remembered that. "You've made me a better man, Lambchop..."

……………………………

TBC…


	4. I Need To

**Title:** Officer Down

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat)

**Summary:** This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version ;)

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Case, Character Study, Drama, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Pre-relationship, Suspense

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine, Frank Tripp (Other)

**Warnings:** None

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 4 "I Need To"

**Author's Notes: **none

………………………………………

**Friday - 1400EST**

**South Miami Hospital**

Warmth and light danced across her face, and Calleigh was forced to roll her head to the side to escape it. She heard something, but kept her eyes shut. She felt weird…and she was trying to figure it out before inevitably opening her eyes to see. The noise…she could finally make it out as her name…and she knew someone else was there. Her brain though wasn't keen on decoding who the voice belonged to for her. She opened her eyes and when she only saw a medical stand that held a device that was monitoring her vital signs; she turned her head to the side until she saw the person in her room. A small smile spread across her face. "Hey…" she whispered and realized how weak her voice sounded when it finally came out.

"Hey," he responded with a bright smile.

She felt his hand wrap around hers and place a gentle kiss on the top of it. "What-what—"

"Shhh… Sweetheart, you should rest…"

"Horatio," she whispered squeezing his hand. There were so many questions she had, and waking up in a hospital was disorientating to say the least.

"You were shot…" Horatio started to explain. "You lost a lot of blood. The doctors put you into a coma to stabilize you… That was five days ago…" He reached out with his other hand and brushed some hair from her face, "You're going to be just fine now, Calleigh…" He knew that now that she was awake, that things would be fine. That was the one thing they had been waiting for… The operation had gone well, she had stabilized, but her still unconscious had left them all frazzled with worry.

Never had Horatio felt so worried. It was like his heart had been yanked out, his chest had hurt and he hadn't been able to breathe well. He had hardly slept, and when he had, it had mostly been in the chair at Calleigh's bedside. He cared about her far more than he was supposed to…than the police department really allowed him. But who choose who they fell in love with? Did they expect him just to remain miserable all of his life? But then the people he loved did seem to end up hurt or in bad situations… Calleigh faced that danger everyday being a CSI, and she was a target with just being who she was…would loving her put her in much more danger?

He smiled as he just watched her. It felt like he hadn't seen her bright eyes in months…and yet it had been merely five days… He had thought that he'd never see them again…but here they were…open and quite alive. Waiting for her to wake up had been the easy part…she had been stable. The wait for her to come out of surgery and to stabilize had been much harder…and he had ended up in isolation most of that time not wanting to let the others see his true emotions…or the emotions he was realizing meant more than he had originally thought.

Love.

Love was a gift.

He had been lucky enough to be given the gift to love women…to bring love into Marisol's life, and to bring love back to Yelina with Ray, but this…Calleigh was his gift of love for himself… She was the one that he truly loved with all his heart, and he wasn't sure if he could wait any longer…if he could stand to see something take her away from him before he'd had the chance to tell her exactly how special she was to him.

"I should get the doctor," he finally said realizing that they'd want to know that she was awake…of course that meant leaving her to the doctors to examine….

"Wait," she whispered not feeling up to being poked and prodded and questioned by doctors about how she felt.

"I thought I'd lost you…" Horatio whispered as he stared into her eyes. He'd lost so many… Speed. Marisol. Ray. Losing Calleigh would have been losing his heart… "And I promised myself that I'd tell you how much you mean to me when you finally woke up…" he continued as his voice broke a bit and his eyes watered over.

"Shh…" she soothed pressing fingers from the hand he had been holding to his lips.

"Let me," he whispered against her fingertips. "I _need_ to say it."

Calleigh frowned a bit, but moved her fingers away from his lips. They had always had a quiet understanding, at least she thought so, that there were feelings there…but that they couldn't be expressed. Two CSIs being in love wasn't something that exactly worked well in a police department…let alone if internal affairs were to find out…

"I love you, Calleigh… I love you so much that I thought I was going to die if you didn't make it…" Horatio confessed, his voice quiet and sincere. "I don't want to wait… I don't care about what the department will say… I want us to have a life together…I know we can have a relationship and work without letting things get into the way. I love you, and I want to marry you." She was his best friend, she knew him better than anyone… She knew his heart. She knew how he operated. She had been there for him in the past, and he knew she'd always be there for him. Telling her that he wanted to marry her didn't seem like such a big leap since they had practically been dating those past years… They'd most likely spent more hours together than they had with anyone else.

Her eyes looked far more surprised than Horatio had expected. Of course, she had just woken up after being shot and being unconscious for five days…. It was a lot for anyone to take in after that amount of trauma…but he didn't want to keep it a secret anymore. He had finally realized it. He had to tell her…maybe not to hear it back, but to know that she knew… The sound of the door opening alerted him to the fact that they weren't alone, the question now was if it was one of the others or if it was a doctor or nurse.

"Horatio, you really should shower, sleep, and eat. Calleigh's not going to want to see your ugly face if you're not clean and those bags under your eyes are at least half the size they are now. Some sun wouldn't hurt either," Frank said as he wandered in, and moved the curtain back. He was surprised to see Calleigh awake. No one had called him, and he started to wonder how long she'd been awake. "Calleigh…Honey, it is _great_ to see you awake," he said after a minute of taking it all in.

"Why don't you tell the others, Frank?" Horatio suggested.

He took that as a queue that he needed more privacy, but it was the time for that now. Once the others arrived, there wouldn't be anytime for privacy with Calleigh. "Alright," he said and headed out into the hallway to make his calls.

"Your dad's been really worried about you," he said stroking her hair. "I'm going to go now. I'll come by later…we can talk then." He didn't want to make her feel pressured to say anything now; especially since he knew she was just waking up…

"Horatio-" Calleigh started.

"Shhh…" he whispered as he pressed his lips to her forehead before leaning his own gently against hers. "You rest… Kick them out if they make too much noise… I'm sure Alexx will supervise," he told her before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. Moving away from her felt painful…he so desperately wanted to spend more time with her…but he also knew it was really time for him to go. They'd have their time later…

……………………………..

TBC…


	5. Bright

**Title:** Officer Down

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat)

**Summary:** This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version ;)

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Case, Character Study, Drama, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Pre-relationship, Suspense

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine, Frank Tripp (Other)

**Warnings:** None

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 5 "Bright"

**Author's Notes: **none

……………………………………….

**Saturday - 2100EST**

**South Miami Hospital**

Horatio stared at the wall as he sat in the hospital chair in Calleigh's room. She had been asleep when he had arrived and he hadn't wanted to wake her. He had even stopped one of the nurses who wanted to make sure that Calleigh ate, but Horatio assured her that he'd make sure she ate when she woke up. Alexx had stopped him on his way in telling him that the doctors said she'd be fine, but her body was still weak and that they really needed to keep an eye on her. That was something he fully intended to do. He just hoped that Calleigh didn't throw him out after his declaration the last time he had been there.

"You're not supposed to say those kinds of things," she whispered as she blinked her eyes. She had woken up and saw him there and wasn't surprised to see him so late. His words from the day before had been going through her mind. What to say…how to respond…how to feel…what to do…and she still wasn't sure.

Smiling, Horatio looked over at her, turning in his chair, so he was facing her. "Someone has to say them," he responded. She looked better, he thought, her color looked like it was coming back he could tell that much. He reached out and took her hand, and squeezed it lightly.

"It's not permitted, Horatio," Calleigh reminded as she watched him. She knew that he'd been miserable…for a long time…they both had, but Calleigh wasn't sure that trying a relationship together was going to improve either situation.

Dropping his gaze, Horatio nodded, "You're right…it's not something that they promote, but that doesn't mean that it's wrong…"

"Horatio…"

"Alexx says you're going to need a couple more days in here and then about a week rest at home," he told her with a smile. "So, that means actual rest, Ma'am… I'll be alerting everyone that you're not to be in the Crime Lab or on scenes until after that time."

"My poor lab," she mumbled thinking about how whoever was overlooking ballistics was probably messing stuff up and not doing things the right way. "Can't I be on light duty?" she asked with a small smile. "Please?"

"Do you know what light duty is?" Horatio asked with a smile.

Calleigh smirked, "Probably just about as well as you do."

"I'm not the one shot."

"I'm starting to think you have a guardian angel," Calleigh remarked.

"Hmmm," he murmured with a smile as he glanced back down at their hands. "I wish I could have directed that angel to protect you." Horatio wished that he could protect Calleigh always, but this proved that he couldn't… But she was alive, and that was something to be truly thankful for…

"I'm alright," she told him. "I'll probably start to get a bit irritated having to rest for so long…but I'm alright." She smiled at him, "It's not so bad when I'm sleeping most of the time…"

"That means you're healing, Sweetheart…" he told her smiling at her. "So, you rest all you need…"

Calleigh smiled brightly, "We've changed the subject…"

"The subject has always been you healing, Ma'am," Horatio told her squeezing her hand.

"Calleigh…"

"What?"

"You can't call me 'Ma'am' after tellin' me you're in love with me and want to marry me, Horatio… That's just wrong on so many levels," she teased.

He laughed quietly and smiled at her, "I suppose I can't, can I?"

"No."

………………………………………..

**Saturday – 2300EST**

**South Miami Hospital**

It was late, but Horatio wasn't ready to leave. They had gone back and forth over the subject and he could tell that Calleigh didn't want to lose the relationship they had, and he didn't either…but he also wanted to be happy. Those simple moments in the hospital had shown him exactly how happy they'd be. They just needed to take the chance. He wanted to tell her, to tell her that he'd make sure he was the one that they went after if anyone found out, but she'd fallen asleep shortly after eating a bit of the food they had brought in for her.

The silence, save for the quiet beeping of one of her monitors, made for a good place to think. Horatio thought about how dangerous their jobs were potentially anyways… They didn't normally chase after suspects with guns and get shot at everyday…but sometimes it did happen. Crime Scene Investigation sometimes included more police officering at times than investigating. He was pulled from his thoughts by a light knock and the door and looked over to see one of the nurses standing there.

"You need anything? Coffee?"

"No, thank you though," Horatio replied quietly and watched as the nurse left. He turned his attention back to Calleigh and thought about their conversation earlier about 'light duty'. He smiled brightly at the thought. It was just how Calleigh operated. How they both operated, he corrected himself; they were both workaholics trying to speak for the victims through the evidence at any cost…even if that meant sacrificing sleep and social lives.

"How's she doing?"

Horatio's head looked up quickly in surprise at his friend's voice. He hadn't expected anyone else to bother him. "She's just really tired," Horatio responded with a smile. "The doctors say she'll be just fine once she's rest and healed."

Frank took a seat in the extra chair not too far away from Horatio. "How long until she gets out? She looks pretty good…not so pale. Not that once she gets into the field that'll be a problem, the sun'll bring color back quick."

"Couples days. They want to make sure she's completely stabilized before they release her," Horatio told him frowning as he watched Calleigh sleep.

"And then time off before she can return to the lab?" Frank guessed, and when he noticed Horatio only nodded in response, he frowned. "Horatio, you know it's not your fault…"

"I feel like I should have done something to keep this from happening…" Horatio admitted. It had been the same with Speed. He had kept trying to think of a way he could have prevented his death.

Frank sighed, "Look, you've gotta look on the bright side. Calleigh's alive, Horatio… You found her, and got her help. The EMTs even said that if she hadn't been found so soon that they could have lost her…just from the blood loss. You gotta hold onto that. We all choose this line of work, and we all know what those choices can lead to… Now, we might kick ourselves for our friends gettin' shot at…but it's not our fault… Someone's gotta protect Miami…and it's all of us…"

Horatio just sat there with his head hung in silence taking in what Frank had just said. He was right, he knew he was. He just was so concerned about Calleigh that he didn't care if things made sense. "She's going to be alright…" he finally whispered.

"That's right."

…………………………………..

TBC…


	6. Opening the Subject

**Title:** Officer Down

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat)

**Summary:** This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version ;)

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Case, Character Study, Drama, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Pre-relationship, Suspense

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine, Frank Tripp (Other)

**Warnings:** None

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 6 "Opening the Subject"

**Author's Notes: **none

………………………………………..

**The Following Week…**

**Tuesday – 1330EST**

**South Miami Hospital Parking Lot**

"I swear I don't need to be fussed over so much," Calleigh told Frank and Horatio, who were both trying to help her into the Hummer. She was being released and one person wasn't capable of picking her up. Eric had apparently wanted to come also, but Frank had told him that it was overkill. Calleigh considered two being overkill, but she kept her mouth shut. She was just happy to be leaving the hospital. "I'm pretty sure I can walk on my own," she told them, "I'm pretty sure the bullet didn't hit any body part that affects me walking…"

"Just do us a favor, and humor us," Frank told her. He was there as support for Horatio and Calleigh, but he wanted to make sure things went well. He knew Horatio had been blaming himself and he also knew that Calleigh could be stubborn…so his plan was to make sure they both behaved until he had to leave.

Horatio sighed and stood there with his hands on his hips once Calleigh was in the passenger seat of the Hummer, "As I recall, the doctor said you could pull open where they stitched you up if you strained or stretched too much." He had made it a point to be there when they explained what they wanted her to do and what she couldn't do before she was released. He knew Calleigh; she was used to pushing herself and not stopping for anything. They were a lot alike in that way, but he had intended on slowing her down, so she wouldn't cause any further injuries.

"I promise to be good," Calleigh told him with a small smile. "You think I wanna get put back into this place?" she asked motioning to the hospital behind Horatio. "There's nothin' fun to do…they think resting is fun."

"I'll ask'em to put in a recovery wing in for CSIs and cops just for you, Calleigh," Frank teased. "Shooting range…police scanner…"

Rolling her eyes, Calleigh cut him off, "Time to go," she said pulling the door shut to block out Frank going on. She was just far too used to working and being injured and in the hospital with nothing to do just put her into a state of constant boredom.

Horatio smiled at Frank before bidding him goodbye for the time being and heading off on his own to the driver's side of the Hummer while Frank went back to his car. He shook his head still thinking about Frank's comment before opening the door and getting it, pulling the door behind him. "Do you want me to stop to pick anything up on the way?" Horatio asked knowing she'd been in the hospital a couple days and some of the more perishable food in her home might be past date. "Grocery store?"

"No, everything's fine… I don't get things that go back that quickly," she told him as he pulled the Hummer out of the parking space and moved it out onto the street. Calleigh smiled and looked over at him, "I mean, c'mon…how often are you or I home for a meal?"

"Point taken."

Calleigh watched him as he drove for a few minutes in silence and then spoke up, "We never finished talking about what you said…" She had been thinking about it…and going over it over and over again and she had finally decided things. "If we kept it quiet…"

Horatio kept his eyes on the road, but listened intently to what she was saying before responding, "We'd keep it a secret. Not even Alexx or Frank could know." Even though Alexx and Frank were the ones they would most likely tell about their relationship, Horatio knew that they couldn't know. "If Internal Affairs found out, it wouldn't be fair if they were to get in trouble…"

"Agreed," Calleigh spoke up quickly pushing a strand of her hair out of her face. "But I'm not saying one date and I'm marryin' ya."

"Understood," Horatio told her with a smile. He pulled up in front of her place and put the Hummer in park. She turned in the seat, so she could look at Calleigh. "We'll do whatever seems right…"

She smiled brightly, "You just remember that I expect a proper proposal," she teased and laughed lightly.

"Noted, Ma'am."

"Calleigh…"

"Calleigh," he repeated her with a smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked hoping for him to allow her into work, even if just for desk work.

Horatio laughed lightly and shook his head, "Calleigh, you have to take a couple days off from work…" When he saw the look she was giving her, he sighed, "How about we have dinner tonight?"

"Who's cookin'?" she asked thinking about the idea. She liked knowing details before agreeing.

"Chinese?"

"Always a good substitute for cookin'," Calleigh said with a smile. "Time?"

"Seven?"

"Or…subject to change on notice?"

He smirked, "I'll call you if I'm going to be late. Seven, unless I call though." He opened his door, but stopped when he heard Calleigh.

"What are you doin'?" Calleigh asked.

"Coming around to help you out to your apartment," Horatio answered.

She smiled, "I don't need help, Horatio…"

He closed the door and walked around to the other side anyways. "I'm trying to ensure that we have dinner later today in your apartment and not in the hospital," Horatio told her as he opened her door and offered his hand to her. He helped her down once she took it, and then put his arm around her to help her into the apartments after closing up the Hummer.

"I told ya, you guys are makin' too much of a fuss," Calleigh argued.

"Is it that hard to let us?" he asked, stopping for a moment to look down at her.

Calleigh realized that letting her guard down like he was asking was something she rarely did. Her past relationships had been with cops and she had to keep her guard up with them, because the minute they let her down they exploited her weak moment, and Calleigh never wanted that to happen. She had to be strong, to show them that she could do her job. Calleigh wasn't one for hand holding, she needed to do what needed to be done. "Yes," she admitted looking down, and walking on, feeling him walk with her.

……………………………………

TBC…


	7. The Start of Something New

**Title:** Officer Down

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat)

**Summary:** This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version ;)

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Case, Character Study, Drama, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Pre-relationship, Suspense

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine, Frank Tripp (Other)

**Warnings:** None

**Rating:** PG-13

Chapter: 7 "The Start of Something New"

Author's NotesYes, I am aware that the chapter title is a song from HSM. LOL I have the CD, but it seemed to just fit nicely.

…………………………………..

**The Following Week…**

**Tuesday – 1900EST**

**Calleigh's Apartment**

When the knock at her door came right a seven, Calleigh was sure it was a neighbor wanting something, and not Horatio. Not that she knew him to be a man who didn't arrive on time; it just wasn't the nature of their jobs. But he hadn't called, which he promised to do if he was going to be late. Calleigh was shocked when she found that it wasn't a neighbor at her door, but in fact it was Horatio. "Oh…I didn't expect you…so…on the dot," she mumbled, and moved out of the way to let him in. He had brought Chinese as promised, and Calleigh was impressed that he had made the effort to make the time for her. Of course, she supposed it was expected after randomly declaring love and proposing marriage to someone…

Horatio smiled warmly and entered. "I told you I'd call if I were going to be late," he reminded. He made his way in and towards the table without asking, and started to set the white cartons on the table. "I got an assortment, so I'm sure I brought something you'll like," he informed her. He turned to see her standing there with a smile. "Where are the dishes? I'll set the table."

"You don't have to do that," she brushed off and started into the kitchen.

He followed, "You're supposed to be taking it easy, remember?"

"I don't know the definition?"

Horatio smirked, "I see that," he told her and once she opened the cupboard to reveal dishes, he guided her to a chair and made sure that took a seat at the table. "Let me do this…it'll be like we're actually following the doctor's orders."

Calleigh gave him a small smile and then watched as he rummaged through her kitchen. As he started to place the dishes, glasses, and silverware on the table, she commented, "You're so sweet."

"You deserve it," he promised.

"I think you deserve it, too," she said with a smile. "You've gotten me out of the lab and I've gotten you out of the lab…" They were both workaholics, and their job was their life. Forensics may not seem glamorous, but neither were in it for that. They both firmly believed in helping people, and forensics was their way…

………………………………..

**Tuesday – 2130EST**

**Calleigh's Apartment**

"It's late," Horatio noted when his eye happened to catch the time on the clock. He knew it wasn't too late, but he knew that Calleigh needed to sleep. So far, they had eaten their Chinese and then had relaxed on the couch for the rest of the night just talking… It was a nice change, and he had to admit that he hadn't felt so relaxed and at ease for some time…

Calleigh tilted her head at him and then craned it upward to the clock. "It's only 9:30!" she argued. "It's not late…" She had been having a good time with Horatio and wasn't ready for him to leave her…not yet…

Getting to his feet, Horatio figured that if he left, then Calleigh wouldn't have anything else to do, but sleep. "It is, and you need your rest."

"Stay."

"Calleigh—"

She smiled at him, "I didn't mean like that…" Getting up, she stopped mid way, and caught herself on the coffee table as she choked back the pain.

"Calleigh," he said worriedly as he hurried to her and eased her back to the couch. "You okay?" he asked as he pushed hair away from her face. He kneeled down in front of her waiting for an answer; his stomach was knotted and cold as he stared up at her.

Forcing a smile forward, she tried to lie through the pain. "I think I just got up too fast."

"Let me see," he said gently unbuttoning the bottom buttons of her shirt and pulling the pieces apart. "I think you pulled one of your stitches," he said when he saw the blood. "I should get you back to the hospital…"

"Horatio, please…" Calleigh begged. She really didn't think she could go through more hospitalization.

He sighed and stood up. "At least let me call Alexx and see what she says? I'm going to get a washcloth to put over that. Just…stay still…to keep the bleeding down." When Calleigh nodded, he pulled out his phone immediately as he headed to get a washcloth. "Alexx? It's Horatio, I'm sorry to bother you so late at home. Calleigh got…up too fast," he said using her lie. "And I think she pulled one of her stitches…she's bleeding a bit. I wanted to take her back to the hospital, but I wanted to know what you thought about it? Yes…yes, I was going to do that. Alright, yes, thank you, Alexx."

"So?" Calleigh asked as she took the washcloth from Horatio when he got close enough. Gently, she applied pressure to where she was bleeding. It was tender, but it didn't hurt. She knew it wasn't bleeding badly, but she'd do what Horatio wanted. "How's Alexx? Tuckin' in the kids?"

He smiled, "Yes…the kids say goodnight…" He tilted his head, studying her. "Alexx said that you should be fine… As long as you're not in too much pain, as long as it stops bleeding that there's no need to go into the hospital…"

"Told ya," she told him brightly. "So…does this mean you'll stay?"

"Stay?"

"Mmmhmm… Just…staying…"

"I thought we were going to take this slow?"

Calleigh smiled, "Well, I won't make you sleep on the couch…but there will be clothes," she told him. "I'm just not that kinda girl…"

………………………..

TBC…


	8. Complicated

**Title:** Officer Down

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat)

**Summary:** This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version ;)

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Case, Character Study, Drama, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Pre-relationship, Suspense

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine

**Warnings:** None

**Rating:** PG-13

Chapter: 8 "Complicated"

Author's Notesnone

…………………………….

**Wednesday – 0630EST**  
**Calleigh's Apartment**

Calleigh opened an eye to look over at her clock. It read that it was six thirty and she wondered why the alarm hadn't gone off. She reached out to turn the clock to inspect it when she felt a sharp pain and then remembered why. Her mind was a bit foggy, but the pain reminded her why the alarm hadn't gone off. She had to take time off to heal… She smiled when she remembered the night before. Carefully turning in bed, she smiled when she saw Horatio laying there facing her. She moved closer and then settled her head on the pillow telling herself that she needed to go back to sleep. After a minute, she squirmed a bit in bed to try to get comfortable and was surprised when arms snaked out to her and pulled her close. Horatio hadn't opened his eyes, but he had pulled her to his chest and Calleigh didn't complain. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered before kissing her forehead.

She took a deep breath before closing her eyes. Calleigh's new position was much more comfortable than she had been before. They were taking things slow. Even though they were in bed together, they were separated by a thin layer of clothing on each. Calleigh wasn't really ready for it…her body was healing, and she was still adjusting to being able to take her boss as more than her boss. She tried to push those thoughts away as she tried to make it back to sleep. "Horatio?" she whispered unable to sleep after starting to think about everything. She opened her eyes and watched as his opened as well.

"You okay, Sweetheart?" he asked concerned. He was starting to wonder if all of her moving had ended up pulling something.

"Why does it have to be so complicated?" she asked thinking about it all and wishing dating Horatio didn't involve her to lie to people, let alone go against regulations.

"Hmm?"

"Us…being together."

Horatio propped himself up a bit, so the sleep would start to slip from him, so he could think clearly. "Calleigh…I thought we decided to just let things happen… We should be happy."

"Aren't we?"

Horatio moved Calleigh from his chest, so they were facing each other in bed. He stared at her through the dark, "You're happy how things are? You don't want anything more?" He was a bit hurt, he had thought that Calleigh wanted the same thing he did…to live…to love…to be loved…

Calleigh sighed and reached out to touch his face, "I don't want to mess things up…" she whispered. "I want my best friend, no matter what…"

"And I'll be here, I promise you, Calleigh… I will always be here for you," he told her as he turned his head to kiss the hand she had had on his cheek. He reached out to touch her face, pushing hair out of her hair. The moonlit had made its way in through the window and was lighting up her face beautifully. Horatio could see the worry lines on her face, and decided to put a stop to it right away. He leaned in and kissed away all of the worry lines. "Always, Calleigh…" he whispered into her ear.

……………………………..

**Wednesday – 1145EST**  
**Calleigh's Apartment**

She sighed as she moved in bed, trying to get comfortable, but then realized that something was missing. Opening her eyes, she groaned when she saw how bright it was outside and the time…she never slept in so late. She realized what was missing…Horatio. He had been in bed with her, and now he was gone…which she figured might have been what had woken her…besides the fact that she should have been up hours ago. Pulling back the covers that had her legs tangled, she pushed her legs over the side of the bed until they were resting on the carpeted floor. Pushing herself up, she headed out of the bedroom and out to see if Horatio had left. She couldn't believe that his getting up hadn't woken her…

"There you are," Horatio said with a smile as he was pouring a cup of coffee. He reached up to the cupboard to pull out another mug in order to get Calleigh some coffee as well.

"Here I am," she replied with a bright smile. "I thought you snuck away…" she commented as she neared him and then gratefully took the mug offered to her. Taking a sip, she smiled when she tasted the sugar in it. He had remembered. It was a small thing, but it also showed her that he knew things… Knowing how to make someone's coffee may not seem like a big deal, but it showed that you cared.

Horatio tilted his head, "I had to make sure that you weren't going to try and go off and work after I told you not to." He smiled when he just got a playful look from her, "I have some breakfast…if you'd like some?" He normally didn't do so much in the morning like make breakfast, but he knew that Calleigh needed it… She was healing, and she might not do it for herself.

"Where did you get eggs from?" she asked seeing the food waiting for them.

"I went to the store," he replied as he guided her to the table and took the plates to go quickly nuke them in the microwave to reheat them. He had waited; because he had wanted to eat with Calleigh…she had just taken longer than he had thought. "I used your keys."

She watched him and wondered how long he'd been waiting for her. "Ya know you could have eaten without me."

"No, I couldn't."

Her plate was set back in front of her, and Calleigh picked up the fork that was already waiting for her and took a bite of the breakfast. "Ya know, normally breakfast isn't so fancy."

Smiling, he nodded, "For me either, but you need it."

"Thank you," she told him as her eyes met his as he took a seat across from her. She smiled at him before going back to eating. It did feel good to eat something that wasn't hospital food. It felt nice…she couldn't quite put her finger on why. It was also nice to have company, she told herself. She smiled to herself as she picked up some of the sausage that was on her plate with some egg.

"What?"

She lifted her head to see that Horatio hadn't started eating, and had apparently just been watching her. She blushed and looked back down before looking back up at him. "Well…it's been a while since I've had company for a meal… Even at the lab, I usually just grab a granola bar or something and eat on the go."

"You need to stop doing that."

Her smile busted, "So do you," she pointed out ever so politely. A lot of her flaws he shared with her, and she was starting to like telling him that he needed to do the same thing. She got a smile at the very least.

"We should have lunch together," Horatio suggested before taking a bite of the breakfast.

"When?" Calleigh asked and then took the bite she had been holding. She savored the taste and thought that maybe she should do breakfast more often. Though, she wasn't sure if it would be the same if Horatio wasn't there.

He smiled up at her and reached out to take her free hand, and waited until she looked directly at him before saying, "Every day."

………………………….

TBC…


	9. Our Date

**Title:** Officer Down

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat)

**Summary:** This is a fanfic based on an episode that was supposed to be shot in season two where Calleigh is shot and Horatio has to face how much she means to him, but since that never ended up being taped, I'll make up my own version ;)

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Case, Character Study, Drama, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Pre-relationship, Suspense

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine

**Warnings:** None

**Rating:** PG-13

Chapter: 9 "Our Date"

Author's NotesThis is the final chapter of this story. The other fanfics will be updated as well and other stories will be put up ;) So have no fear! More DuCaine is on its way!

I also wanted to just let all know that I do appreciate the comments, but I have had to change the settings for my stories so that I no longer accept anonymous commenting after someone blantingly flamed a story with no real reason (because they thought something happened that didn't) and didn't even give me the chance to reply to it. Fanfiction(dot)net only allows authors to only respond to signed comments.

…………………………………

**Friday – 1315EST**  
**Crime Lab**

"Isn't it too soon for you to be back?" Eric asked when he saw Calleigh enter the fingerprint lab. He knew she was in the lab, but it was the first time he'd seen her all day. He was concerned that she was pushing it, especially after the blood loss and having had Alexx tell him that Calleigh had pulled something when she had been home.

Calleigh smiled and tilted her head a bit as she sat down as soon as she got to the empty stool. "I'm fine, Eric. I've been here since eight." She knew that everyone was concerned, but she was just ready to get back to work. She had been home for a couple days, and that had been too much. Even with Horatio as company it had been too much downtime. "I've already promised that I'd sit down as much as possible," she explained and then motioned to herself, "See…sitting."

Eric smirked, "I see that. Still, take it easy."

"I promise," she told him. "So? What do you have for me?"

"Well, there were a lot of partials, so I Frankenstein-ed it. It was enough to run, and I got a match with priors," Eric told her before pulling up the perp's picture and information. "Liam Marken, he's got priors for grand theft auto and attempted rape." Eric watched Calleigh take in the information, and noticed that she looked fine…normal…but it didn't stop the worry. Though he was happy to know that she was taking it easy. He looked up when he noticed that they were no longer alone. Horatio always had a way of just popping in on them, "Hey H, we got a match on the prints."

"That's great, Eric," Horatio said and walked in further and over to Calleigh. "I'll look over things…after lunch." He looked down at Calleigh, "You are late."

Smiling a bit shyly, Calleigh spoke up, "I'm sorry… I lost track of time…" She actually hadn't, but it was a good excuse. Calleigh had just wanted to check on all the evidence in the case she was working for before breaking for lunch.

Horatio held out his hand and took Calleigh's holding onto it as she got down from the stool. "If you'll excuse us, Eric, I promised to make sure that Calleigh actually eats more than a granola bar."

"There is nothing wrong with granola bars," Calleigh argued as she let go of Horatio's hand and headed out of the lab ahead of him.

He just smiled in her direction and then nodded to Eric before following after her.

……………………………….

**Friday – 1345EST**  
**Cheesecake Factory**

"I thought we were just going to go to the café across the street?" Calleigh asked curiously as they got out of the Hummer. "You don't have to take me here… I mean, we still have evidence to examine and…"

"And it'll be there when we get back," Horatio told her going around to her and putting his arm around her back and guiding her towards the entrance. "Now, remember there were ground rules for you returning back to work?" It had been hard on them both to be away from the lab, but Horatio had enjoyed his time with Calleigh immensely. He normally didn't get time with just Calleigh, but he had made it so that he got to see her for at least an hour alone everyday during work hours.

Smiling, she tried to act like she'd forgotten, "I dunno… Was it somethin' about sittin' and goin' easy on the guy who's got my lab completely ruined?" Calleigh looked over at him to see him smiling back at her.

"I believe there was something about lunch in there."

"Ah, yes…" Calleigh said as he opened the door for her and she went in ahead of him and then turned in after he'd followed her in and stood in front of him. "I believe it was something about a lunch date…"

Horatio smiled and reached for her hand, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Yes, our lunch date…everyday," he told her. Putting his arm around her, he guided her again back towards the hostess.

………………………….

The End


End file.
